Blog Post 1- Bhutto, Mandela, Douglass, and Democracy

When reading both Bhutto and Mandela’s stories, I couldn’t help but feeling empowered and inspired to look and think about democracy in more depth. In our American society, we’re used to the common phrase “with liberty and justice for all”, as stated in our Pledge of Allegiance that most of us were told to do every morning in our classrooms before we started the day. It would come on over the PA and students were told to stand up, put your hand over your heart, look to the American flag that most, if not all, classrooms had, and repeat the common “I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America...” and so on. We’re taught to believe that we live in a country of opportunity, freedom, and most importantly, the power to use our voice. Even though our country has had our struggle with it, we now live in a democracy. The whole “power to the people” idea was something that I was fortunately born into. But that’s just the thing: I was born in a democratic nation. Not all people can say the same. Some, like Bhutto and Mandela, had to fight for democracy and their voice. Their stories of hardship, persistence, patience, struggle, and sacrifice opened my eyes and showed me that the idea of democracy is something that some countries are still fighting for. And based on Mandella and Bhutto’s stories, it is something worth fighting for.

Bhutto’s story really forced me to open my eyes, especially since I am an Islamic woman as well. The topics she touched upon, such as how Islam and democracy can work together, but the West tries to prevent that from happening, was hard to swallow. The first 12 minutes of the documentary were also very thought-provoking, especially since I could hear her voice and how confident she sounded despite all the threats made against her. Even in her book, her writing doesn’t express and haste or anxiety. With the West saying that Islamic countries could not possibly live with a democracy because “Muslims believe in the sovereignty of God and thus cannot accept man’s law.” (pg. 180), she never showed any anger. She only displayed her thoughts and opinions with quotes from the Quran, explanation of the Islamic religion, and how all mankind, even people of Islamic belief, understand the responsibilities of humankind to create a just society. 

As mentioned before, it was stated that I was happy to be born in a country where we live and breathe democracy. It’s something that I thought I should be proud of. However, Bhutto forced me to open my eyes once again. She pointed out that the United States “speaks of democracy almost in context of the values of religion, using rhetoric about liberty being a ‘God-given’ right. And Western nations often take that standard abroad, preaching democratic values like missionaries preaching religion. The problem arises, of course, in its selective application to bilateral foreign policy relationships.” (pg. 187). This quote got to me because we, as Americans, are proud of our democratic system, but we don’t like to share that ideal. That we, the West, believe that Islamic countries cannot handle their “God-given” right. That we “deliberately blocked any reasonable chance for democratic development in Muslim-majority countries.” (page 186), yet we say how great it is. Long story short, Bhutto’s story hit home in more ways than one. It hit the country I live in and the faith that I believe in. But I am glad that it hit home for me, because it made me connect to her story and really see things the way she did. She was determined and more than willing to put her own life on the line to give the people of her country power.

Bhutto’s argument also ties in to the story of Douglass. The West brags about their democratic values and beliefs, yet they choose to ignore that at one point in time, they weren’t as democratic as they claimed to be. In the 1800s, Fredrick Douglass, along with thousands of other people of color, were denied very basic human rights, including the right to vote and even have their own voice: so, they couldn’t participate in America’s “democracy”. Blacks weren’t even allowed to learn to read and write, so they probably didn’t even know about the democracy that they couldn’t take part in. However, Douglass went against that right and taught himself how to read and write, despite it being deemed “unlawful and “sinful”. In a book he learned to read, “The Columbian Orator”, Douglass soon began to develop his own voice and opinions, and it appears the words on the paper were becoming his own thoughts. “They gave me tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of utterance... What I got from Sheridan was a bold denunciation of slavery; and a powerful vindication of human rights.” (page 334). This explains that once Douglass learned how to read, the idea of human rights and democracy made more and more sense to him. I take Douglass’s story as a huge eye-opener to realize that America hasn’t always been democratic and as great as I thought it was, and that we like to hide our bad pasts under the rug, just like Bhutto states in relation to her argument (“This so-called incompatibility of Islam and democratic governance is used to divert attention from the sad history of Western political intervention in the Muslim world...”) (page 186).  

Something that Mandela’s story showed me was the importance of knowing your enemies and your allies. “It would be very hard if not impossible for one man alone to resist.” (page 73). You must understand what the enemies (the authorities, in Mandela’s situation) are trying to do, so you know what you have to do in order to survive. Mandela couldn’t have done anything without his fellow prison mates, because they stuck together, supported one another, and gained strength from each other. “But the stronger ones raised up the weaker ones, and both became stronger in the process.” (pg. 74). We benefit from a group of people because we cannot grow alone, we cannot conquer alone, we cannot survive alone. Like stated in our previous reading “Soul of a Citizen”, it benefits us more to speak out about what we believe in and get involved in our causes and create new bonds with people who feel the same. The way I like to think about it is to imagine if Mandela or Bhutto never spoke out about their cause, if they never formed allies like fellow prison mates or the people of the Pakistan People’s Party. Would things be the same way they are today? What if Douglass gave up on learning how to read and never fully understood what he was missing out on, thus never having the idea to escape and publish a book on what really happened within the life of a slave?  

 I believe that the fight for democracy is an important one. As mentioned before, I never realized how important our democratic government is to our society. For Bhutto who didn’t have democracy in her country, to Mandela and Douglass who were denied that basic right, the fight is worth it, but it’s a shame that they had to sacrifice so much for it. Although, through this sacrifice came great stories of heroism.

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